Priority for this application is claimed under the Paris Convention based upon the Italian patent application filed on Apr. 24, 1997, and entitled "Strumento Chirurgico Per Il Trapianto Di Capelli Autologhi".
This invention relates to a surgical instrument for transplanting self-grown hair, i.e. hair taken from the same person undergoing the transplant.
To transplant an individual's own hair, a surgical method is employed which involves removing strips of scalp from areas of the head with hair, generally areas near the neck, manually trimming the strips of scalp using a bistro so as to obtain a plurality of micrografts, each containing one or more hair bulbs, placing the micrografts on gauze soaked in a physiologically sterile solution one by one, and inserting the micrografts into the bald area of the head one at a time. Specifically, to insert each micrografts, it is necessary to make an incision in the skin of the head by means of a bistoury, remove the micrograft from the gauze by means of a suitable tweezers, insert the micrograft into the cut and coagulate the blood which emerges from the cut.
The usual transplant procedure for self-grown hair generally requires the insertion of approximately 500 micrografts and currently requires an execution time of approximately five hours.
The execution times for hair transplant operations are currently very high indeed and necessarily require the utilization of high doses of anesthetics and analgesics and can cause a substantial loss of blood.
It is clear there is a need for an improved surgical instrument to assist in the transplanting of hair.